NEW ORLEANS — A 17-year-old with a history of violence escaped from New Orleans juvenile security officers Monday and then committed a carjacking, leading to the New Orleans police to issue a department-wide bulletin to aid in his capture.
New Orleans police identified the juvenile as Carlos Taylor, 17. The NOPD stated that Taylor had been arrested Friday and booked with aggravated assault with a firearm, illegal possession of a handgun by a juvenile, illegal use of a weapon, and aggravated criminal damage to property, the NOPD said.
Taylor’s birthday is listed as Sept. 17, meaning he recently became an adult in the criminal justice system, but raising questions about the dates of the earlier crimes for which he had been booked.
Authorities confirmed Taylor was responsible for an unarmed carjacking in the 1100 block of Florida Avenue near the LSU Dental School directly after the escape.
New Orleans Police issued the following statement about the escape: “The NOPD is aware of this event. And OPCD has issued an alert on all NOPD channels to be on the lookout for this individual.”
Authorities say that juvenile jail officers chased Taylor but lost track of him after he scaled a fence and crossed nearby I-610. The multi-story dental school is directly on the other side of the interstate from the juvenile lockup and court complex.
According to Juvenile Court Judge Candice Bates-Anderson, Taylor had been taken to court Monday. He escaped while being escorted back to the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center.
The juvenile had been ordered to be detained at his court hearing, Bates-Anderson said.
WWL Louisiana has requested more information from authorities about the alleged carjacking.
LSU Health New Orleans issued the following statement on the incident:
"Today at LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry, a visitor elected to wait in her car while her child received dental care. An unarmed individual approached her and demanded the vehicle keys. She complied, and the individual drove away in the vehicle. No one was injured in the incident. LSU Health New Orleans officials are aiding the patient and family. Campus police are cooperating with NOPD in the ongoing investigation, and additional patrols have been deployed. As a health-centered, people-focused organization, LSU Health New Orleans is committed to ensuring the safety and security of our patients, families, students, faculty, staff and visitors."
Senator Pat Connick issued the following statement on the incident:
"Getting information that the juvenile escape notification law that was passed unanimously by the state legislature this past year was not followed in the case of Carlos Taylor and that is a major problem. I am in contact with the Governor’s office and they are aggressively looking to determine who dropped the ball and fix things going forward. We need to get this right."
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry also sent a statement, echoing one issued earlier by Connick:
“The Governor shares Senator Connick’s concerns regarding the escaped juvenile from the custody of Orleans Parish officials. We are committed to determining what led to this escape as well as the delayed and incomplete notification to ensure this does not happen again,” said Kate Kelly."
On Tuesday, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill shared her thoughts on the situation:
"The law is clear on what their obligations are. Obviously - as illustrated by this event - escapes from juvenile custody are a matter of public concern and public safety. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - we need the City Council, the Juvenile Courts, NOPD, and the District Attorney’s Office to work together to keep juvenile crime under control and to ensure accountability when someone is charged with a crime. That takes all of us working together to protect the public and ensure juveniles are accountable for their actions.”
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The suspect, who turned 17 earlier this month (Sept. 17), has a prior criminal history and was recently booked in a carjacking and attempted murder, authorities said.
His official charges from his Friday (Sept. 20) arrest include:
- Aggravated assault with a firearm
- Illegal possession of a handgun by a juvenile
- Illegal use of a weapon
- Aggravated criminal damage to property
The juvenile had been ordered to be detained at his court hearing, Bates-Anderson said.
The NOPD also issued a photo of the stolen car – a light blue 2012 Toyota Camry with Mississippi license plate: 1MUSIC1 (as seen below).
[WATCH] Louisiana lawmakers sound off with New Orleans juvenile escapee still on the run
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